Will Talking To Your Plants Help Them Grow?

We have all heard that plants are social and talking to them helps them grow, but is that true?

The weather is hot and we are all looking for ways to keep our plants happy and healthy. Price Charles of England said, “I just come and talk to the plants, really. Very important to talk to them; they respond.”

Could talking to your plants help them to them to grow? Penn State and The Discovery Channel had set out to answer that question.

The Experiment

The Discovery Channel produced an article discussing MythBusters experiment. MythBusters took 60 pea plants and divided them into 3 groups. The first group of pea plants listened to a recording that only spoke “cruel insults”. The second group listened to a recording of “loving praise”. Lastly, the third group or the control did not listen to a recording. The plants were charted for 60 days. The MythBuster determined the winner by the masses of the plants.

The Results

Believe it or not, but it was a tie between the two groups that had listened to recordings. The results proved that talking does help, but it does not matter what you say. The group that had not listened to the recording had produced smaller pea pods and lower biomass.

According to Penn State, the theory of human conversation benefiting plant growth dates back to 1848. However, besides maybe MythBusters, there has not been much research on the subject. The article did make note of a recent paper that was published;

“A 2007 paper from scientists at South Korea’s National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology proposed that two genes involved in a plant’s response to light—known as rbcS and Ald—are turned on by music played at 70 decibels.”

70 decimals is on the same level as a normal conversation. It would seem that talking to your plants may help to flourish your plants. Penn State highlights that conversation alone is not enough. Your plants need oxygen, water, nutrients and light to grow.

“And of course, all the good vibrations in the world aren’t going to help your plants if you forget to water them. The bottom line? “The best thing people can do to help their plants grow is provide them with light, water, and mineral nutrition,” says Marini.”

The best way to provide your plants with oxygen, water and nutrients is to install a Rootwell for your trees and Rootsticks for your garden. The Rootwell system provides the avenue to supply oxygen, water and nutrients into the root zone.

Have you tried talking to your plants? Have you seen your trees blossom at the sound of your voice? We would love to hear about it.